The podcast explores the complexities of creating public memorials, from the Vietnam Wall to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. It discusses the challenges of commemorating the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of a national memorial. The episode highlights the efforts of individuals to create a federally recognized COVID memorial and the obstacles they face. It also examines the design and significance of 9-11 memorials, the messaging behind them, and the importance of memorial makers in preserving the memory of tragedies.
Creating a memorial for COVID-19 is challenging due to the absence of iconic visuals and dramatic events associated with the pandemic.
Memorials play a crucial role in validating loss, fostering healing, and preventing future crises.
Deep dives
Challenging the Narrative of Memorials
The podcast explores the challenges and complexities surrounding the creation of memorials and the need for a national COVID memorial. It highlights the delicate decisions involved in deciding what and how to remember, the importance of centering the voices of the grieving, and the struggle to create a memorial that captures the vast scope and impact of the pandemic. The podcast also emphasizes the societal amnesia and fatigue surrounding pandemics and the fight against misinformation and divisiveness in shaping the memory of COVID-19.
Marked by COVID: A Grassroots Effort for Remembering
The episode delves into the grassroots organization, Marked by COVID, founded by Kristen Urquiza, which aims to create a national COVID memorial. It highlights their efforts to commemorate the lives lost to COVID and their commitment to including the voices of the bereaved. The episode explores the challenges faced by Marked by COVID in navigating the bureaucratic process, combating denialism and apathy, and the need for validation and remembrance in the face of disenfranchised grief.
Designing a Memorial for COVID-19
The podcast discusses the difficulty in designing a memorial for COVID-19 due to the absence of iconic visuals or dramatic events associated with the pandemic. It explores the desire to create a memorial that reflects the multifaceted experiences and impacts of the pandemic, including isolation, fear, and systemic failures. The episode also examines the use of augmented reality and technology, specifically Snapchat, in creating a prototype memorial that personalizes and humanizes the remembrance.
The Struggle for Recognition and Acknowledgement
The episode highlights the challenges faced by those seeking recognition and acknowledgement for COVID-19, including the obstacles posed by politicians, divisions within society, and the national tendency to forget or move on from pandemics. It emphasizes the importance of creating a space for grieving, validating loss, and learning from the past to prevent future crises. The episode also raises questions about the role of memorials in shaping national narratives and fostering healing and resilience.
When a highway gets made, there’s a clear and consistent process for doing so. Not so, public memorials. From the Vietnam Wall to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, it’s always different. Sometimes a handful of concerned citizens get together and make it happen. Sometimes a nonprofit pushes for it, or a foundation. There’s usually a lot of activism, and a lot of fraught conversations – about design, location, the story it should tell about what happened, and who it affected.
And how does one memorialize such a vast and distributed tragedy like COVID-19, which was devastating physically but also divisive politically?